Awakened (species)
The Awakened are an evolution of the Changelings, and are were the Ancients' envision for the Changelings when they were first uplifted to fight in the Forgotten War. Seeing the Elders uplift an insect species into what would be known as the "Chryssalid" caused the Ancients to come up with a similar plan. They uplifted the same kind of insect that they had stored previously and created Changelings, gifting them Magic to let them change their physical form to perform espionage. This was not it's true intention, as it was meant to allow Changelings to transform into their final form; the Awakened. The Awakened were not completed and therefore not deployed before the Ancients were all killed off by the Carar, which Changelings and their evolutions are immune to. Changelings, incomplete and confused, rallied under their "Queen" known as Chrysalis and remained underground for millenia. They remained there until Emperor Vivaro formed the Unitum Imperii, and after the latter began a war with the Dawnbreak Empire they emerged to feed off the scraps of both factions. However they were quickly chased back underground by what little remained of the Unitum Imperii, losing many of their Drones and being forced into hiding once more. There they remained until the massed the strength to attempt a coup of the Crystal Empire from under Princess Mi Amore Cadenza - Princess Cadance. The coup was intercepted by Connor Pemberton, Sarah Miller, Angus McCallum, and Warwick Pemberton as well as the Mane Six. Though the four soldiers easily outmatched a group of Changelings, they could not stand up to an army alone and needed help. Connor discovered the Ancient-made "Forced Evolutionary Device" and one Changeling who had defected from the Hive Mind volunteered to be the test subject in it. He was quickly transformed via green and black energies into a humanoid, silent insent-like being that bowed to Connor. It then accessed security logs on the Ancient hardware that was locked off to Connor, and revealed it was the apex of it's species evolution - the Awakened. It then convinced three other Changelings that had come to apprehend Connor and the Defector to let it use the same energy on them, turning each of them into Awakened with a brilliant flash of energy. The four silent beings showed gratitude to Connor and bowed to him. The first four Awakened attempted to convince other Changelings to allow themselves to be evolved, though they all refused and the Awakened left in shame. They then made their way to the Hive and tried to convince Chrysalis (though pheromones, not speech) to embrace being "completed." However, she refused and tried to have the Awakened killed for herecy. The Awakened easily fought off their weaker cousins and stopped their attack on the Crystal Empire before vanishing underground, possibly to seek out fellow Defectors and uplift them to what they were meant to be. The original four Awakened were seen again after Exodus attacked Equesria, acting as an elite team on-loan to the Midnight that were capable of dealing with numbers that far exceeded their own. After that, they became known as the "Awakened Sect" and the first Awakened became a member of the Equestrian Council. Though it never spoke, it reacted in other ways including telepathically to any propositions. Celestia saw it's presence as a threat, and had Chrysalis brought onto the Council to counter it. However, the Awakened simply stared at Chrysalis throughout every meeting until spoken to directly. It would respond, then go back to staring at Chrysalis. It is unknown if this is an act of hostility, or possible pity as it stares at what it perceives as a "weaker species." Awakened possess Magic that other beings cannot use such as Reave, but cannot use some other spells that other species can like Barrier. They can use Levitation and Teleportation. All Awakened Magic is light green and black. They are physically very strong and tall, a total half-foot above the average Briton bringing their height to a threatening 7 feet, identical to a Mechanical Autonomous Drone. Their immense size allows them to dwarf Ponies and Changelings, who stand at an average of 3 feet (minus Ponies like Celestia, who are often 6 feet tall). They are covered in dense chitin plating which is so strong it can repel many Ballistic attacks below .50cal with ease and is resistant to fire and energy-based attacks. However, Awakened are not immortal and can be killed. When killed, Awakened quickly disintegrate into black ashes with a saddening cry. Not much is known about how Awakened communicate or if they have a heirarchy, though the Awakened that is part of the Equestrian Council exhibits the ability to communicate and a stance of power over it's kind. It is incredibly rare to see an Awakened outside of the "Awakened Hive" deep underground, though they seem curious of other species as well as cautious. They do not talk verbally and do not show Psionic potential, but seem to be able to convey their feelings to others in ways not fully understood and are resistant to many Psionic afflictions including Panic and Mind Control. The Awakened are led by what is known by others as the "Harbinger" which was also the first Awakened, once known simply as "Defector." This specimin shows compassion to other Awakened, concern for Changelings, and utter hatred for Metamorphosed. The Awakened Hive is very ornate for what it is, and very defensible as the walls move around and the Awakened can appear from anywhere inside their own hive to ambush intruders, as discovered by a team of Exodus Spartans who underestimated the Awakened during the Dimensional War and were slaughtered by superior powers.